Through his appeals attorney, Patrick Renn, Hammadi argued that he received ineffective assistance from his previous attorney, James Earhart, after he was accused of attempting to provide resources to al-Qaida in Iraq in 2011. He says Earhart assured him he would get a lesser sentence if he pleaded guilty to all charges, and that he didn't realize a life sentence was a possibility.

Earhart testified he wouldn't tell his client anything of the sort, according to the report.